Reckon you know Australia pretty well? Even if you’ve lived here all your life, chances are you’re still messing up some of these place names.
From Woolloomooloo to Wangkatjungka, Australia is filled with place names that are not just tricky to spell, but can get your tongue in a twist. And nothing screams “I’m a tourist” more than mangling the name of the town you’ve just arrived in. Depending on where you’re from, the correct way of saying these places will either be blindingly obvious, or utterly baffling.
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The pronunciation of Jervis Bay has been hotly debated for decades Pictured: iStockSource:news.com.au
Forster, NSW
This beach town is such a great holiday spot, even the R decided to take a break – it’s FOSS-ter.
Manuka, ACT
Not to be confused with the honey (Ma-NOO-ka), this Canberra suburb is MAR-na-ka.
Cockburn, WA / SA
Both Western Australia and South Australia have one of these, and it’s nothing to be embarrassed about when you pronounce it as the locals do: Co-burn.
Lachlan, TAS
Tasmanians are certainly unique, and this little spot outside Hobart proves it: it’s not Lock-lan, it’s Lack-lan.
Canowindra, NSW
There may be plenty of hot air in this town (it’s known as the ballooning capital of Australia) but there’s definitely no wind in its name. It’s Can-OUN-dra (not to be confused with the Sunshine Coast’s Caloundra).
Ravenshoe, QLD
You can pronounce Raven, and you can pronounce Shoe. But put them together and what do you get? Something completely different: Ravens-ho.
Lake Cathie, NSW
You’d reckon it would be pronounced Lake Cathy, as in Cathy Freeman. But you’d be wrong – it’s Cat-eye.
Derby, WA / TAS
In most of Australia, when you’re talking about sport, derby is pronounced darby. Not so in WA where it’s pronounced phonetically – DER-be – and the same goes for the popular Kimberley tourist town of Derby. And – although Tasmanian locals use darby in the sporting sense, their Derby (a popular mountain-biking destination) is also DER-be.
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The Polish pronunciation of Kosciuszko would be “Kosh-chush-ko” Pictured: iStockSource:news.com.au
Hervey Bay, QLD
If Derby is DER-by, then surely Hervey is HER-vey? Nope, it’s pronounced Harvey.
Jervis Bay, NSW/ACT
One of the most beautiful and confusing places in Australia. Not only does the area oddly contain a 7456ha patch of ACT-administered coast, Jervis Bay Territory (despite being 250km from Canberra), the pronunciation of its name has been hotly debated for decades. Sydneysiders and navy personnel are convinced it’s JAR-vis, but locals swear it’s JER-vis. The local council and NSW Geographical Names Board have previously taken opposing sides of the debate, while an expert consulted by the ABC claims “there are two correct answers”. (Incidentally, Cape Jervis in South Australia, said to be named after the same British admiral as Jervis Bay, is pronounced JER-vis.)
Woolloomooloo, NSW
As Sydneysiders will know, this suburb is pronounced Woola-maloo. But few will be able to spell it right first time.
Wangkatjungka, WA
Not too far from some of the Kimblerley’s stunning gorges and waterholes is this Aboriginal community, pronounced Won-ka-jon-ka.
Reservoir, VIC
Just shorten it to Rezzy, and you’ll be safe. This suburb in northern Melbourne is not Resa-vwah, but Resa-vore.
K’gari, QLD
Sure, you could cheat and call it Fraser Island – but once you see this stunning spot you’ll probably find its Indigenous name K’gari, aka “paradise”, more fitting. It’s pronounced Gurri – the K is silent.
Kata Tjuta, NT
Again, you could call it The Olgas, but using its original name shows respect to the traditional owners. It’s pronounced Catta-jew-tah.
Ebbw Vale, QLD
That’s not a typo, it’s a southeast Queensland suburb named after a Welsh town. It’s pronounced Eb-boo Vale.
Albany, WA
Knowing how to say Albury won’t help you here, East Coasters. It’s not All-bany, it’s Al-bany (as in Al-phabet).
Bonython, ACT / Port Bonython, SA
No bones about this one, it’s Bon-EYE-thon.
Goondiwindi, QLD
It’s just over the border from NSW so maybe that explains why it’s pronounced Gunda-windy despite being spelt so differently to similar sounding Gundagai.
The Sydney suburb of Coogee is pronounced COULD-jee Pictured: iStockSource:news.com.au
Mount Kosciuszko, NSW
Aussies are pretty consistent with Kozzy-oss-ko. However, technically, the Polish pronunciation of Kosciuszko would be “Kosh-chush-ko”. Then again, there are dozens of places and landmarks all over the world bearing the name Kosciuszko, after Polish military leader Tadeusz Kosciuszko – from Kosciuszko Bridge in New York to the town of Kosciusko, Mississippi, the birthplace of Oprah Winfrey – each of which locals have given their own pronunciation twists, including “Kah-zee-ESS-ko” and “Kos-kee-OOS-ko”.
Ballan, VIC
Apparently, 90 per cent of outsiders get this one wrong. It’s not BALL-an, not BELL-an, but Ba-LAN.
Wallan, VIC
If Ballan is Ba-Lan, Wallan must be Wa-LAN, right? Nope, it’s WOLL-en.
Recherche Bay, TAS
Do your research on this one … and pronounce it Research.
Gumeracha, SA
The home of the Big Rocking Horse, this Adelaide Hills town is pronounced Gum-er-ack-a.
Wauchope, NSW
Although the original Wauchope family, after whom this town was named, apparently pronounced their name “Walk-op”, locals prefer War-hope. And definitely not War-choppy.
Tiaro, QLD
This town is located on the Mary River in the Fraser Coast Hinterland – but where its “A” has disappeared to is anyone’s guess. It’s not Tee-are-row, but Tie-row.
Coogee, WA / NSW
Whichever pronunciation you go with, you’re going to get it wrong somewhere. The Perth suburb is KOO-jee; the Sydney suburb is COULD-jee.
Mamungkukumpurangkuntjunya Hill, SA
One glance at Australia’s longest place name might have you running for the hills, but here’s proof it isn’t impossible to pronounce – even on live TV.
This article was originally published on Escape and was reproduced with permission
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